


MI(6 Degrees of Separation)

by mobilisinmobili



Series: Cross My Heart and Hope You Die [1]
Category: Alex Rider - Anthony Horowitz, Black Panther (2018), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alex Rider is a Mess, Avengers Family, BAMF Alex Rider, Canon Divergence - Post-Avengers (2012), Domestic Avengers, Friendship, Illegal Activities, Nick Fury is Not Amused, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Peter Parker is a Good Bro, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Tony Stark, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Teenagers, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:07:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24403318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mobilisinmobili/pseuds/mobilisinmobili
Summary: Nick Fury owed Mariah Hill a favor, who owed Everett Ross a favor, who owed the Director of National Intelligence several favors. It was a good thing that the Director of National Intelligence was more than open to accepting requests for aid in the name of strengthening international intelligence relations. The Foreign Secretary jumped on the chance to pay the head of MI6 back, a favor for a favor..Or.That time Alex Rider met (most of) the Avengers.
Relationships: Ben "Fox" Daniels & Alex Rider, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes & Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, K-Unit & Alex Rider, Natasha Romanov & Tony Stark, Nick Fury & Maria Hill, Nick Fury & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Steve Rogers & Tony Stark, Tom Harris & Alex Rider, Tony Stark & Avengers Team, Tulip Jones & Alex Rider
Series: Cross My Heart and Hope You Die [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1762225
Comments: 56
Kudos: 265





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [avoiceisgraceandgreed](https://archiveofourown.org/users/avoiceisgraceandgreed/gifts).



> Not related to "Of Mind Games and Madness"  
> Thank you to avoiceisgraceandgreed for the inspiration!

“He’s awake.” 

The group breathed out a collective sigh of relief, relaxing for the first time since they returned a little more than five hours ago. 

The sun had already risen, brighter and in a bluer sky than they’d seen back at the pier. But all thoughts remained locked onto that grim scene. That scene and the almost _silent_ extraction ride back to the compound. It didn’t really get any better from there. 

Dr. Cho had been at the ready, taking in the bruised and bloody blond before personally kicking them all out of the med bay. 

Something about ‘causing unnecessary stress’.

So they did what they could, trying-and _failing_ to work on the post mission debrief paperwork, getting lost in their thoughts in the quiet of the empty living room, just waiting, _hoping_ that the target would wake up _soon_ if at all…

“But he won’t be for too long with what they’re pumping him with.” Fury set the file in his hand down on the coffee table. “A gift, from MI6” he nodded to the file.

“MI6?” Rogers repeated, brows furrowed in confusion. 

“Um, yes. Hi-”

“I’m sure I don’t have to make introductions. Mr. Ross is here to clarify some things about the mission-yes, Mr. Stark?”

Tony lowered his hand.

“The one we just completed?” 

“Well technically you all completed the first half of the mission.” Ross answered, clearing his throat. 

“The brief didn’t come in parts...”

“That’s because it’s being considered a high priority but also flagged as highly sensitive as well. We needed to know that the first part was completed before deciding how to move forward with part two.” 

“So you’re saying this mission isn’t even fully formed?” 

Ross shrugged. “I suppose you could say that. But that’s sort of SIS’s MO.” 

“So what’s part two?” Barnes jumped in.

“Part two is the easier part- _mostly_ …” he glanced over to Barnes and Romanov. “Give or take a little more challenging and work heavy for some of you.”

“Just cut the cloak and dagger, Ross and spit it out.” Tony rolled his eyes. “We’ve already reached a consensus on being a _little_ weirded out by the minimal information given.”

“ _Stark_ …” Fury warned.

“I’m just saying.” he held up his hands in surrender. “I thought after the mess with the Sokovia Accords that the intelligence would want to operate with just a _little_ more transparency...”

“You’re not wrong, Stark.” Ross replied evenly. “But this isn’t US intelligence, it’s a favor to the UK, and they just _happen_ to operate a little differently. A little more in the shadows. _Especially_ concerning Agent Rider.” he gestured to the file. 

“It’s surprising they gave us that much to work with at _all_.”

“So his name is Rider, and he’s MI6.” Romanov cut between the sudden tension. 

Ross nodded. 

“He was originally in Croatia running a mission with an SAS unit stationed in that area. They didn’t really expand on why, but they did mention some sort of drug cartel situation. Long story short, he “disappeared”. Last they saw him he was running recon in an underground nightclub. He was supposed to meet a dealer and report back but he never showed and that’s when they reported him missing.” 

“So what’s he doing state-side?” Cap quirked a brow. 

“That’s something they want to know as well. And that’s part of what part 2 of this mission entails.” he set another file down on top of the one Fury had before. 

“Part 2 is mostly protection duty. Rider’s in pretty bad shape as it is, but MI6 have noted that he has a _nasty_ habit of trying to break out of hospitals-” 

“Is that a joke…?” Barnes glanced over at Rogers who pointedly looked away. 

“Um, _no._ Apparently he’s _very_ good at it. So that’s something to watch out for. But the important thing is that he’s recovering mentally as well. They aren’t sure yet, but Rider himself seemed confused as to why he was stateside. So we’re operating under the assumption that there’s been some sort of amnesia, be it psychological or due to physical trauma-whatever the basis, he needs to remember whatever it was he was going to report back about.” he gestured to the file he put down. 

“There’s a few extra points listed as to what to look out for. He might be young, but he’s had a pretty intense career so far. Made a lot of enemies. They just need him to sit tight in a safe place until he can remember the things he needs to remember.”

“And then?” Tony prodded.

“Like I said, it depends on what happens.”

“They’re just going to leave their agent here?” 

“He’s not really in any sort of condition to be transported. And they did mention something about a work holiday.” 

“Do they know where exactly _this_ -” Tony gestured around him “is? They _do_ know that this is a government facility, don’t they? What SHIELD is? Actually, starting from the most concerning, I don’t think they understand what a _holiday_ is, first of all…” 

“No, they were quite clear. He was scheduled for some time off anyway. They said he’s a bit of a workaholic, so it was pretty good timing, all things considered.” 

He trailed off.

“But _anyway_ -” he clapped his hands together, bringing their attention back. “They did send his file, but I’m here to go over the more nitty gritty parts and answer any question I can. I um-brought a drive-” he fished out the small usb from his pocket before handing it over to the resident tech genius who took it and plugged it into one of the sunken ports on the coffee table.

“FRIDAY, bring up holoscreen.” 

“Holoscreen activated.” 

The lights dimmed as the holographic screen popped up in the middle of the room, screened above the port.

A familiar photo appeared, enlarged and in color with what looked to be _hundreds_ of additional documents scrolled under. 

“Works like a tablet. Just bigger.” Tony gestured, giving a short demonstration scrolling up and down through a few files. 

Ross nodded in thanks, side stepping the sofa to make his way to the screen. 

“Name is Alexander J. Rider. *Born February 13th, 2001-”

“2001...?” Romanov interjected. “That makes him _19_.” 

“Only a year older than Peter.” Tony added with a frown.

“ _Trust_ me, I was _more_ than a little concerned when I found out as well, but we’ll get to that.” 

The two backed down, albeit in narrowed eyed suspicion. 

"His father, John Rider was an MI6 agent as well. Worked deep cover as a mole in the terrorist organization SCORPIA as an instructor before he and his wife's subsequent murder by his godfather, an Anthony Sean Howell as per orders from SCORPIA, whom he was working for at the time." Old photos popped up on screen as Everett scrolled through. 

"He was put under the care of his paternal uncle, an Ian Rider who _also_ worked for MI6, and later on, a housekeeper named Jack Starbright." He scrolled further, bringing up a singular photo of all three. 

"Ian Rider was declared KIA sometime about five years ago, and as of July seventh, three years ago, his godfather was taken out a little later, and investigations into Jack Starbright's disappearance has been closed, and she has officially been deemed dead." He winced. 

"That's right about when he _officially_ signed on with MI6. And as of May 2017, he's completed SAS recruitment and passed selection. _Officially_ this time."

"You're saying he passed special forces training at seventeen…?" Rogers asked in clear disbelief. "Are you even _allowed_ to _attempt_ at seventeen?" 

"He did have a bit of a-how would you say...an advantage- sort of."

"You said he passed officially _this_ time. He's tried before?" Barnes quirked a brow. 

"That's where things get a little more difficult…" the man brought up a new file.

"After his uncle's death, MI6 took notice of his... _skills_. While it's not formally documented, there have speculation that Ian Rider was training his nephew into following the family business. With good reason." He scrolled further, bringing up further documentation.

"By the time MI6 got to him, Alex Rider was fluent in Spanish, French, and, obviously English. He was more than adequate in Farsi, Mandarin, and Russian and showed great aptitude in further language aquisition. He was a black belt in Karate as well as practicing in the form Akido amongst other forms of martial arts. He was SCUBA certified, and enjoyed other extreme sports. He played football- _soccer_ at school as well."

"A family line of spies, huh…" Cap frowned, the information _obviously_ wasn't sitting well with him. Or _any_ of them for that matter. 

"He was recruited at fourteen. They packed him off to Brecon Beacons to shadow a team, K-Unit) who were put together for recruitment, just for a few days before his first mission. He's been with them ever since as a senior agent." 

"So what _exactly_ are we protecting him from? Because right now it just sounds like MI6 is the biggest threat to this kid's life…" Tony grimaced, unable to look away from the identification photo. He looked so young now that they knew. He could help but think of Peter, the boy genius who was out and about getting some late night studying done with his friends, like people his age _should_ be doing.

"Right now the biggest possible threats that MI6 have flagged are as follows-" he cleared his throat once more before bringing up a considerably long list. 

"Any and all organization operating in the States that are associated with the organization SCORPIA, the Triads, any and all groups dealing with the drug _Xiacin_ , any and all groups or individuals found in recent(within the last six months) of a 'Doctor Three', and any and all groups or individuals who have been found in contact(at all within the last year) of the known assassin Yassen Gregorovich or just Yassen Gregorovich himself. _Especially_ Yassen Gregorovich. He has a whole separate alert." 

"Why SCORPIA? If his Father was the one who went deep cover, it would have been _years_ ago." They all nodded at Rogers' question. 

"Well-" Ross winced. " _Actually_ , it wasn't just his father…"

"The only other SCORPIA affiliation you've mentioned was his godfather but he's dead as well." He added. 

"MI6 haven't confirmed an actual timeframe, but it _is_ noted that Alex went rogue sometime between 2016 to 2019 for an undisclosed amount of time." 

"You're _kidding_ …" 

"You know, Stark, I really wish I was… but no, he really did. And was under the personal tutilige of Yassen Gregorovich, the very man who was mentored by none other than John Rider. You see why MI6 is keeping pretty much mum about him. It's a whole mess." 

" _Jesus_. Is this kid alright…?" Tony pulled a face. 

"We can only hope for now. And with all of that being said, they've added a few notes, particularly from his old unit and his work partner." 

He closed down the files. 

"Nothing much, definitely a lot of overlap." He shrugged. 

"A consistent one was not to get _too_ near him if you got to wake him up. Even in the case of nightmares. He wakes himself up pretty early on. He's got an aversion to any sort of bags or cover over his head, bonus point for there being any sort of water involved in that situation. You could probably guess why. He has a special gun, one of a kind, so if any of you've picked it up he'll probably want it back. And on the topic of guns, in the case he gets his gun back, refer to point one. Apparently he's an instinctive shooter and will _not_ hesitate, so maybe don't give him back his gun just yet…" he looked up from his fingers. 

"And check up on him from time to time. He's apparently got a track record for escaping. They've noted that he's _really_ good at it. Oh, and It's still a ways away probably, but later on, make sure to check whether he's _actually_ taking his pain medication as well. He has a habit of getting rid of them. Doesn't like the _fuzzy_ feeling or something like that. And other than that, part two _should_ be pretty calm." 

Four sets of eyes stared back at him in varying degrees of bemusement.

"Any other questions? Yes, Stark?"

"Yeah. For starters, what the _actual_ fuck, Ross?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Okay. So technically Alex Rider was born 02/13/96, but for the purpose of this story he's a 01 baby because Peter Parker is going to play a pretty big roll as well!
> 
> And I know this chapter was pretty packed, things are going to be further explained in the upcoming chapters, I promise~


	2. Chapter 2

“I thought he was injured!”

“I don’t know. Fury said he was!” 

“He’s a  _ damn  _ good shot for being  _ injured _ !”

The two jumped back behind their respective shipping containers, but not fast enough. Sparks flew as a stray bullet managed to graze near the metal elbow. Superficial, but  _ just  _ enough to give his position away. 

“ _ Shit! _ ”

“We need to move!” 

“The only way forward is straight up through the gap, Stevie. And in case you haven’t noticed, we’re being  _ shot at!”  _

Barnes peeked out from around, surveying their ground situation. It wasn’t looking too good and in all honesty, things were probably  _ not  _ going to go as planned. Which was very  _ very  _ not good. Especially with the fact that they were operating with a skeleton team. 

Someone was  _ bound  _ to get hurt. It wouldn’t be possible to have everybody’s back with how spaced out they’d become. 

How spaced out their target had  _ forced  _ them to become. 

The fact that they had  _ yet  _ to be able to make contact made things all the more difficult. 

“ _ I’m in! _ ” 

“Can they hear us?” Cap asked tightly, eyes narrowing at the sound of a distant firefight.

“ _ Uh...I think-wait. Hold on. Hmmm. If I do this-”  _

“Pete, this is more of a yes-no situation-” Tony’s voice filtered in through the joint line.

“ _ -is 0-Red-Delta. Where the hell is my back up?! I’m running out of ammo! _ ” a new voice hissed. 

“Is that our target?” 

“ _ Yes. There’s one last encrypted part and then the line should open up.”  _

“Alright, I’ve got a plan.” 

“We already  _ have  _ a plan, Stark.” 

“You mean  _ had  _ a plan, Barnes. We’re  _ way  _ past FUBAR on that one.”

“What’s your plan, Tony?” 

“Why, thank you for asking so nicely, Cap.”

“ _ Tony _ .” 

“Okay.  _ okay _ . Our precious cargo said he was running out of ammo, so I’ll go around the long way and take care of the other guys, and if the line doesn’t open up before then, I’ll distract so you two can get closer. Sound good?” 

Barnes nodded. 

“Alright. But be careful! Don’t forget what Fury said about spooking him.” 

“Will do, Capsicle. And, Peter?” 

“ _ Yes, Mr. Stark?”  _

“No stress, but I need ya to hustle.” 

“ _ Sorry, Mr. Stark! I’m almost there!”  _

“Like I said, kiddo. No stress. Actually, just maybe a little stress. Just a tiny bit. Okay?”

“ _ High key stressing as we speak!” _

“That’s not-” Tony sighed. “Anyway, hostiles sighted. There are about five I can see right now-oh, four. And three. And two-ooo, we’ve got a runner-” Another shot echoed around the maze of containers. 

_ “jesus _ . Well, that wasn’t what I thought was going to happen…”

“What happened, Tony? Are you alright?!” 

“I’m fine. But if I’m not mistaken, I think our target just sniped our runner. I dunno. Seemed a bit unnecessary...”

“Where are the coms at?” 

“ _ Just a few more lines, Mr. Barnes, sir.” _

“Commencing operation distraction.” 

“Be careful!” 

“Has anyone told you you worry too much, Rogers? Cause I think you do. Supersoldier or not, it can’t be good on your blood pr-”

“What the fuck is _that_?” Bucky pointed to something mid-air, not too high up that was hurtling up _fast_ , incredibly close to where they could see Tony moving in.

“What-”

They heard two gunshots before they saw the bright burst of light in tandem with a hair raising air ripping  _ bang  _ of what had probably been some sort of stun grenade. 

“ _ Coms are open!”  _

“Stark?  _ Stark? Tony!  _ Come in! Are you alright?” 

“Just-just give me a sec-”

The two super soldiers breathed a sigh of relief. But the relief didn’t last long, shoving them straight back into high alert as a new line crackled to life. 

“ _ This is- _ ” no one missed the audible wince of pain. 

“ _ -Zero-Red-Delta. Who is this _ ?” __

“Hey, Zero-Red. We’re your back up. So maybe  _ don’t  _ fucking do that again?” They heard Tony hiss in pointed sarcasm. 

“ _ You’re the suit in the sky _ ?” 

“I  _ was _ . Your little flash bomb shorted my circuits. How’d you manage to do that?”

“ _ Handy little gadget innit. _ ” the target chuckled, tapering off into a fit of coughs that sounded more than a little painful. 

“ _ What-what’s the code?”  _

“Peppermints,” Cap answered shortly, reupholstering his gun.

“ _ How many of you _ ?” 

“Three. We have the one in the sky. I’ve got a shield and the other’s got a metal arm. We’re going to make our way over, alright?”

“ _ Sounds good. _ ” the mystery voice hissed another pained breath.

“ETA three minutes until landing. There’s a wider space around where you shot me down, I think two container isles down from where you’re at right now. Can you walk?” 

“ _ Um-not quite. _ ”

“It’s fine. Bucky and I are almost there. We’ll get you out.”

“ _ Much thanks.”  _ he replied dryly. 

The line went silent, leaving them in the eerie silence of the cold morning. They could see a blood-red sun rising slowly, mostly hidden by the grey grogginess of the storm clouds gathering ahead.

“Hiya.” the super soldiers froze just barely making it around the closest isle of containers before hearing the telltale sound of a gun cocking. 

They turned to see a familiar face, albeit one that looked worse for wear than it had in the rushed briefing only hours before. 

Somber eyes assessed the situation before the blond let himself slide down to the ground, right leg gingerly outstretched as his arm drop limp on the ground, grip loose around the handgun in his hands. 

“Zero-Red-Delta?” Bucky asked, quirking a brow.

“Yup.” he scrubbed a tired hand down his face, smearing the blood that was slowly but surely oozing down his face from the  _ nasty  _ looking gash just above his right brow. But that wasn’t what had caught Steve’s alarmed attention. 

“Are you bleeding?!” He rushed toward the blond, dropping down to a crouch so that they were eye level as he surveyed the damage.

Blood bubbled up around the target’s hand where it was clamped low on his left side. 

“‘S new. Not too long ‘go. One of those bastards managed to aim properly.” he winced, clearing his throat. 

Cap wasted no time in opening up one of his side pockets, extracting what looked to be a palm-sized square bandaid. 

*“Alpha-gel. It’ll hold the bleeding for now.” He peeled the packaging off, gesturing for the blond to move. “It needs to be on the skin.” 

“Oh.  _ Bugger _ .” the blond huffed, taking a deep breath before peeling back his shirt with an audible hiss of pain. Bucky winced in empathy at the familiar sound of fabric ripping off of caked blood. The view was  _ unsavory  _ to say the least. 

“I thought your wound was recent?” Cap quirked a brow, methodically centering the square on the wound. 

“I’ve got a lot of wounds.” he returned just as flatly, tapering off as the sound of their extraction grew louder

“It’ll have to do for now. We’ll get you fixed up back at the compound. But for now, I’m going to lift you, alright?” Rogers shouted above the noise.

“Okay!” the target shouted hoarsely back, giving him a thumbs up.

“One. Two.  _ Three- _ ” And all at once, with one last bark of pain, the target went limp in his arms. 


	3. Chapter 3

"Here's the deal, blondie. I get you don't like what they're giving you, but you got  _ shot _ , and you’ve got  _ several _ stab wounds, and-"

"And three fractured ribs" The blond continued. "I'm more than aware. I was  _ there _ . They're on  _ my  _ body." He snapped back.

"Then you know why your dosage is set so high."

" _ High  _ doesn't even cut it, Stark. The dosage is near coma-inducing."

"If you don't stop pulling the IV out, Dr. Cho won't hesitate to put you in an actual coma and be done with it, kid. She's being  _ nice _ ."

"This is excessive."

"It's an American thing. And unfortunately for you, you're gonna be sitting tight for a little while, so why not just take it easy. Get some rest."

"I can rest without being shoved into unconsciousness. I can do that myself, thank you."

"Which is exactly what brings me over here in the first place. To negotiate your current medical freedom. So hold your British horses for a damn moment."

"Go on…"

"If you promise to stay put,  _ on _ the bed  _ inside _ the med bay and  _ not  _ try to remove the IV every couple of hours, they'll give you something less potent”. 

“And how long would that take?” 

“Really depends on how fast you heal. It’s open to interpretation indefinitely.”

“Indefinitely…?”

“Your bosses called. You’re on ‘personal holiday’ until further notice.” 

The look of irritation quickly switched to one of scandalized offense in one whiplash second. “Pardon?”

“Your boss, MI6-”

“Wait,  _ wait.  _ Did they  _ actually _ say ‘ _ personal’  _ holiday or did they say ‘ _ work _ ’ holiday?” 

“Does it matter? A break’s a break. You won’t be back in the field for-”

“It matters.” the blond snapped staring the man down with a  _ concerning _ level of ferocity.

“Hey.  _ hey _ . Let’s keep the heart rate down” Tony placated, bringing up his hands in defeat. “If it’s  _ really  _ that important to you, I’m pretty sure it was ‘work’ holiday.” 

Cold silence descended in the sterile room as the words sunk in

“Of course it is” he huffed out a scathing breath, rolling his eyes before looking away. “I don’t even know why I bothered to ask...” he glared daggers into empty space. But under the bright lights of the med bay, he looked more worn out than anything. 

“Have they mentioned a date?” 

“For what? Your holiday?” 

“No, for when I ship back out to Langley.” 

Tony’s brows furrowed in noted confusion.

“Why would you be shipping out to Langley? I wasn’t kidding, kid. You’ve been put on-”

“Holiday. Yes. I  _ know _ .  _ Work  _ holiday, in America at that. Which means Langley.” 

“They said holiday,  _ here _ . At the compound. There was nothing on the brief about you leaving  _ anywhere _ .”

“Briefing?” Alex quirked a brow. It wasn’t  _ entirely  _ out of the blue. The fact that they were there at the dock as backup meant that 6 had probably contacted them, but it didn’t make things any less suspicious.

“For part two of the mission. Part one was the rescue. Part two is somewhere between getting you fixed up and playing bodyguard to keep you safe.”

“And what exactly did they tell you to watch out for?”

“Oh, you know. A few terrorist organizations, an  _ actual _ assassin, some guy named Three, and some drug-also, completely off track but I’m just curious” Tony sat up a straighter. “Why’d you go rogue?” 

If the question took the spy by surprise, it didn’t show in the dead-eyed stare. He didn’t even hesitate.

“It was on my bucket list,” he answered sardonically. “It’s the point right below making it to twenty.”

Tony winced. It was a sort of humor he was familiar with, but never fully acclimated to all thanks to one Peter Parker, gen-z extraordinaire. 

“Duly noted. Back to the subject then, we were also told that you have this weird habit of  _ escaping medical facilities  _ and  _ not taking prescribed medication _ , but I figured those were all just a fancy British way of saying that you’re on the low side of self-preservation.” 

“It’s an occupational trait.” he leveled the man with a tight smile turned grimace. 

“And apparently so is instinctive shooting? We found your gun by the way-doesn’t look like any gun I’ve seen recently..”

“Where is it?” Alex perked up a degree. 

“In holding. We’ve got a ‘no weapons policy’ in the med bay. You can have it back when you get discharged.”

He didn’t protest, but his discontentment was more than visible in the stormy eyes and the grim line of his mouth. He wasn’t on his own turf, therefore he didn’t hold much weight in terms of power. And if working with other agencies across the years had taught him  _ anything _ , it was that fighting their terms and conditions only made things  _ that  _ much harder. He’d just need to play his cards right and he’d get his way eventually, no matter how irritating it was to have to put in all that extra work.

"There is one more thing though, something that was brought up during our briefing." Tony sobered up, meeting Alex's serious gaze straight on. "We were told that there was a possibility of amnesia. The scans came back negative for any severe cranial damage, but ultimately it comes down to you and whether or not you remember."

"I see…" 

"So  _ do  _ you remember?"

"Somewhat."

"Look, your boss was the one who entrusted  _ us _ . We've signed the paperwork they've sent over. Nothing is classified anymore, so you can stop tiptoeing around."

"My boss can be a right  _ bastard _ at times. His allowance doesn't exactly foster any sort of assurance." He snarked back. "And back up or not, I'm not about to discuss any sort of intel with people I know nothing about."

"FRIDAY?" 

" _ Yes, sir _ ?" the blond tensed in momentary surprise. 

“Call a team meeting, with whoever is available. Med board room. In-” he glanced down at his watch. “Mmm.. ten? Yeah. Ten minutes.”

“ _ Yes, sir.” _

“There you go. Now we  _ don’t  _ have to be strangers.” 

“All foreign intelligence remain strangers to some degree.” 

“Well, lucky for you, kid. We’re not exactly ‘foreign intelligence’.”

“You’re foreign, and if 6 actually opted to trust you, it means you’re considered ‘intelligence’.” 

“You know, I have a feeling you and Romanov are going to get along  _ really  _ well.”

“And  _ I  _ have a feeling this wasn’t what part two of the mission meant by rest  _ or  _ holiday.” 

“Then we make a merger. How about, you meet the team-”

Alex sat in silence, patience wearing  _ noticeably  _ thin.

“ _ Just  _ meet the team. We’ll leave anything related to the mission for later  _ after  _ you talk with your people. You’ll have to meet the team eventually, what with your bizarre non-holiday holiday. Ross said he was going to stop by tomorrow morning. I’ll give him a call to let him know and he’ll probably be able to work  _ something  _ out by then.” the man put his hands up in a sign of surrender, throwing the choice to the spy. 

“Completely up to you. I’ll even move the meeting to board room two.  _ Outside  _ the med bay. You’ll get to stretch your legs a bit.”

“I know for a  _ fact  _ I’m not going to be able to just up and walk out of the med bay.”

_ “I _ practically built the med bay, blondie. It’s all Stark tech. So if you’re not above pulling your IV and tying it up one last time, I can get you out no problem.” 

“Is that so…?” Alex quirked a suspicious brow.

“It is.” Tony shrugged. “So what say you?”

“ _ Just _ a meeting?” 

“ _ Just _ a meeting. Nothing else.”

“Fine.” 

“FRIDAY”

“ _ Yes, sir _ ?”

“Initiate stitches protocol.”

The heart rate monitor was the first to shut off, followed in seconds by the overhead ambiance lighting.

“Alright-” Tony bent down, grabbing for something under the bed before straightening up victoriously, a set of sleek crutches in hand. 

“Off with the IV. And you’ll need these.” 

The spy didn’t hesitate a moment longer, closing the drip before wiggling the IV out from under the medical tape he’d peeled off. He maneuvered himself off the bed, careful not to jolt any of the healing wounds  _ too  _ much. 

He still had time… Especially with the newfound ‘work holiday’ status. 

For now, his primary focus was to gain as much information as he could while he still could before things started catching up. 

So he took the crutches with a mumbled thanks and followed the man swiftly out of the darkened med bay. 


	4. Chapter 4

"He should be resting, not up and walking around. Steve frowned. “We could have convened in the med bay.”

"No worries. With the amount of painkillers they've pumped into my bloodstream, I'm practically floating. Less gravitational pressure." Alex stared him down, unwavering under the scrutiny. 

"Kid's got nerve. It's almost...  _ nostalgic _ ." Barnes broke into a smirk. 

"Which is  _ why _ -" Tony sent Barnes a pointed look. "We're going to get on with it. Get everybody back to where they should be ASAP." 

"It?" Natasha pressed, sizing up the blond standing against the wall a step away from the door. 

She didn't miss the way he gazed back, assessing the three of them the same way. 

Almost a little  _ too  _ perceptively aware to be comfortable. She'd seen that sort of look before in the eyes of the girls she had trained with once upon a time not too long ago. She'd seen it in the eyes of the 'Winter Soldier', back before any of them realized who he  _ actually _ was. Before even  _ he  _ realized who he actually was. 

A pragmatic sort of scrutiny that was just a little  _ too  _ severe. One that fell a few paces closer to a lifestyle that was more 'Red Room' than 'Secret Intelligence'. 

"Figured an official introduction was in order. Just so we're  _ all  _ on the same-" everyone's attention jumped to the frosted glass door at the soft knock. 

"Come in-oh.  _ Superb  _ timing, Brucie. Come in, come in." He swung the door open further, waving the new comer in, letting it swing silently closed.

"Like I was saying, I just thought it was about time we made official introductions-"

"It hasn't even been a full day since we completed the mission, Tony." Steve retorted. 

"Part of the mission." Tony corrected. "Since we've completed  _ part  _ of the mission, technically. And we didn't exactly get to go around a name circle back at the docks. He's probably a  _ little  _ curious, you know. Since we really came out of nowhere as backup last minute." 

"I am, actually." Alex added in agreement. "This entire scenario wasn't supposed to happen. I'm halfway across the world from where I was  _ supposed  _ to be, taken in by a backup team I wasn't aware was going to come, nevermind  _ exist _ . So sorry but not sorry. I have no intention of sharing any sort of information until I know who I'm sharing it with. It's  _ basic _ protocol." It wasn't entirely  _ rude _ , but his thoughts on the matter were evident from the firm unwavering tone.

"So we'll make official introductions today, and if Ross or Fury actually  _ read _ the texts I sent, blondie over here will get to talk to his boss tomorrow morning to straighten things out and if everything works out, we'll be good to go with working out an  _ actual  _ plan for the time being." 

"I-um, I don't want to veer this conversation off track, but-uh-could someone fill me in really quick? I don’t believe we’ve ever met." 

"We were called to an impromptu rescue mission. He was our extraction target." Natasha summarized. 

"Meet our resident genius, Dr. Bruce Banner. Also well known as the Hulk. Less known as the friendly green giant." 

Bruce gave an embarrassed smile "You're hardly one to talk. What was it? Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist? Built an arc reactor  _ and  _ a suit in a cave somewhere in Afghanistan being held by terrorists. I just happen to like asking questions and learning about things." He shrugged. 

"Yeah, no. Dr. Banner over here-" Tony clapped the man's shoulder. "He's a biochemist, physician,  _ and  _ a nuclear physicist. His research and work on gamma radiation? No parallel. He's in a league of his own." The others nodded at the genuine  _ truthful  _ praise. 

"Dr. Banner-" he gestured over to the blond. "Agent Rider. MI6." 

Alex gave a small nod, taking in the confused albeit friendly attention, starting a mental profile.

"The All American linebacker over there is Steve Rogers." 

."Nice to meet you, Agent Rider." 

"Technical team leader and mission strategist. Also goes by Captain America." 

"Really…?" Alex quirked a brow. 

"Not much of a personal choice. He got his name back in the 40s during the war." 

"That would make him at  _ least  _ 80..." 

"Enhanced super soldier. And so is Barnes." He nodded to the brunette between Rogers and Romanov.

"He's the one who had the metal arm. Code name Winter Soldier in the past. But the name’s been put out of commission after he joined SHIELD." 

Bucky gave a curt nod in greeting.. 

"He's our guy in the shadows. Tactical strategist in the more reconnaissance based missions along with being an expert in hand to hand combat. Steps in as a secondary sniper when needed.” 

The blond’s calculating gaze lingered an extra beat before moving to the last one left. 

“And last but not least, Natasha Romanov. Call sign Black Widow. Probably the closest to your situation than anyone else. A jack of all badass trades, really. You’re in good hands.” 

“And you?” Alex turned his attention back to the man seated casually across the meeting table from the three beside Banner. 

“Me?” he repeated in mild confusion, sitting up. 

“Your bedside introduction wasn’t exactly substantive.” 

“Fair…” the genius relented. “Well, you know my name already. Tony Stark or Iron Man depending on the company. Co-owner of Stark Industries. I design and build most of the team’s weapons along with a good chunk of SHIELD’s tech as well. But most of the time I’m just the ‘suit in the sky’.” 

“Is this everyone?” 

“We’re missing Barton, Wilson, Maximov, and Vision. Thor comes around every few weeks. But he mostly works with the Guardians as of now. Lang steps in when he can, but he’s been busy working with SI’s electrical engineering department.”

“And Peter.” Romanov added, shooting the man a pointed look.

“And Peter.” he agreed wryly. “Peter Parker. Also goes by Spiderman. He’s a veritable boy genius. And he’s… part time.”

“Part time?” 

“He’s officially signed on in September, but he’s got a tight schedule, so he helps out whenever he can, at least for the next five months. And then he’ll be full time. Mostly hand to hand combat or programming and hacking every now and then. He was the one who got us into yo-”

“I am so  _ so  _ sorry I’m late! We were studying for the AP lit test tomorrow and-” he froze mid sentence throwing his hands up in surrender, staring down at the cold metal mere centimeters from his neck in shock. His eyes followed it to the right, all the way to the hand that was brandishing the would be weapon. He swallowed thickly before continuing up, taking in the med bay clothes and then the unfamiliar face. But it was the eyes that really sent a chill down his spine. 

Dark brown eyes that were so  _ jarringly  _ hostile. There wasn’t an  _ ounce  _ of hesitation in the deadly glint. 

“Woah,  _ woah! _ Stand down. He’s with us!” Tony came to first, blood pressure skyrocketing from the sudden panic. “He’s Parker, the one we were talking about!” 

Alex hesitated a moment longer before dropping the crutch, fluidly repositioning it in his hands next to the other one. 

“Sorry about that. Reflex.” he addressed the new arrival after a half a second hesitation.

“That’s-it’s fine.”

“Now we know what Ross meant.” Romanov piped up, amiably motioning for Peter to come take the empty seat beside her. 

“Are you  _ normally  _ this reflexive?” Tony managed to get out, working to slow his pounding heart. 

“I was trained to be. But since you knew I’d gone rogue, you’d already know that."

It was barely perceptible. Setting up the emotional barricades again within the time of a blink.

His gaze swept over towards the back, surveying the new arrival with a certain calculating steeliness for a moment, lingering just a  _ little _ too long for comfort before turning back to the man.

"I think-" he readjusted, maneuvering on to the crutches "-that we're done here. I have no further questions, and I  _ won't _ be saying else until I speak with 6. Stop until then, I request some _ privacy _ . I'll see myself back." And without another second of hesitation he turned to the door, pushed it open and shuffled out, leaving behind a heavy silence and  _ hundreds  _ of new questions and concerns.

* * *

"Should someone go follow or…?" Bruce eyes the door warily. 

"I doubt he'll be too happy about that." Tony answered wryly. "Seemed _ real  _ pressed about something." 

"Bruce is right-" Steve shook his head. "He might want some space, but he's here for protection, and it's his safety is still our responsibility." 

"I think Stark has a point. The kid's obviously got some serious skill. If the rescue mission was anything to go by. He might be injured but that doesn't mean he isn't dangerous. He _ clearly _ wants space." Bucky countered soberly. "I think before we do anything else, we should get him in contact with his handlers as soon as possible. Better yet,  _ today _ ." 

Natasha nodded. "He's probably more stressed than he's letting on. He doesn't have any Intel on  _ us _ , but we know so much about  _ him _ . It's an uneven situation. He's bound to be on edge. He's got no reason to trust us " 

"Even so-" the lights flickered, and they all froze. 

"I thought the compound runs on arc reactor energy" Natasha stood, eyeing the lights above in suspicion, nerves kicking into hyper vigilance. 

"It  _ does _ . FRID-" Tony hissed a sharp breath as the lights shit completely off leaving them in eerie darkness broken by the overly bright emergency flood lights above.

" _ Shit _ !" Barnes spat. "I'll go secure Rider. Banner, I need you for medical back up." Bruce nodded immediately, moving up closer to the man

"Peter, you're with me. We needed to get to the lab.

"Natasha and I'll run perimeter. Remember, the goal is to find Rider and keep him safe. We keep him alive and as uninjured as possible." 

The group nodded. 

"Alright. Move out." 

* * *

The curly haired pilot tossed over a headset, rushing to take off again even before the blond could get his bearings straight to shut and lock the door. 

"You're cutting it _ real _ fucking close."

"Tell that to the bastard who stabbed me in the fucking _ leg _ . He had  _ one _ job." Alex snapped back, buckling himself in, catching his breath as he watched the compound grow smaller and smaller.

"No need. Samael was disposed of. He failed his objective." 

"Who's left?"

"You, me, Aeshma, Halphas, Abraxas, and Orius. Belus went offline ten minutes ago. Halphas is tracking as we speak." 

"So what happens now?" 

"You clean up the mess you've made, finish the damn mission, and pray that Bael be merciful and you _ might _ just survive."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might be a little confusing, but it was a necessary chapter for the overall story. The things in this chapter will be explained in the next few chapters, so just hold on tight!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Officially beta'ed by the amazing ProcrastinationAndCoffee~

"I just think it's time for a little more transparency is all." 

"Yes, but what you're trying to do is illegal, Tony. _Illegal_. A _jailable_ _crime_." 

"You mean what I  _ did _ ." 

"...pardon…?" 

"Not what I'm  _ trying _ to do, Brucey. What I just  _ did _ ." 

"No,  _ no _ ! You can't just-" 

"But I did, and- does that say deep cover?" 

"It does." Natasha nodded, eyes racing to skim the pages up on hologram. 

"The company's probably a cover as well then," Tony added with a groan.

"Makes sense. The group they're after,  _ Goetia _ ."

Tony glanced up from the screen, leveling the redhead with a speculative gaze.

"They've been on SHIELD's radar for some time now." 

"And on MI6's as well." He replied evenly.

"We knew he was after them for some sort of drug related issue, but I doubt SHIELD would pay too much attention to a simple drug cartel." Rogers frowned. Something wasn't adding up. He could feel it in his gut. The abruptness of the mission had them on edge as it was. Learning about the bizarre, frankly unorthodox teen had been disturbing to say the very least. 

And now they were  _ very illegally  _ hacking British Intelligence for intel that really should be left alone for the good of the US/UK inter-intelligence alliance. 

But at the same time…

" _ Halphas, Abraxas, Belus, Samael, Orius.  _ They've got a theme going on. We're dealing with some  _ real _ villains here." Tony rolled his eyes.

"I'm not seeing it. Could you explain?" Steve requested neutrally, running down the list of names again, trying his best to connect the pieces of information. 

"Goetia. The codenames-" 

"And the drug they're manufacturing and selling" Natasha cut in, skimming across the next page. " _ Solk _ -" 

"Short for 'Solomon's Key'. But it  _ should  _ be 'Key of Solomon'." Tony nodded, obviously arriving at the same conclusion that the ex-assassin had.

"Supernatural, mostly occult. The 'Key of Solomon' basically speaking is a book of old magic."

"A  _ witch _ book…? Seriously?" Steve's brows furrowed in marked bemused disbelief. 

"The Goetia or the 'Lesser Key' is something like an instruction manual. A 'how to summon a demon' type manual." He shrugged. 

"And the code names are names listed in the Goetia. Halphas supplies weapons and sends men to war. Abraxas, the god of good and evil. Belus, the god of war. Samael, the venom of god. Orias, the marquis of hell. You get the picture." 

"You know, I never expected demonology and the occult to fall under your points of interest, Tony." Bruce broke the stunned silence in mild jest.

"Stark Industries focused on weapons manufacturing and production for  _ years _ . The Goetia is practically a  _ handbook  _ for naming combat weapons." He replied dryly.

"That-that makes a lot of sense actually." Bruce quirked a surprised brow.

"So we know who Rider was after and we can assume that he's got at _least five_ operatives after him if it _is_ Goetia that took him." Rogers jerked the conversation back to the _far_ more pressing topic at hand. 

"We need to tell Fury. If they really  _ are _ as big of a threat as SHIELD believes, there's  _ bound  _ to be additional information. A location.  _ Anything _ ." 

"We're not even supposed to know about the group let alone know that SHIELD's been watching them. Fury isn't going to just let it go." Tony argued. 

"Damn right I'm not." 

The group froze, completely thrown by the sudden appearance. 

"But fortunately for you all, we've got a top priority level fuck up to deal with so I'll save the felony talk for later." The bemusement was beyond palpable as the man stalked over to the holoscreen, eyeing the pages before settling a speculative eye on the enlarged photo. 

It wasn't the same one they'd been given during the initial briefing. He looked younger in this one. Less stressed, and more...alive? 

Daresay,  _ happy _ ? 

His hair was longer. Definitely more tidy than the messy growth it was when they'd found him. 

And while the dark circles weren't exactly  _ invisible _ they weren't as prominent in the photo as they actually currently were, a telling little observation. The photo they'd been given had been taken in motion, most likely at the club if the clothes and crowd surrounding were anything to go by. His hair was buzzed, styled in a younger party-esque undercut with the rest slicked back. It fit with the plunging neckline and tight slacks, gold chains glinting around his neck. They hadn't missed the *scorpion tattoo just barely jutting out on display just above his left collarbone. 

He fit the mark, that was something they could all agree on. He blended in so well that no one questioned even the  _ possibility _ that he'd be so young.  _ Much  _ younger than they pegged him to be. 

Looking at the photo on the screen made everything feel that much more bizarre. Rider looked younger in the photo and while he didn't look  _ old _ per se, he didn't look his age either. He looked...strangely old  _ and  _ young. 

But now that they knew the truth, both photos just felt so… _ wrong _ . 

If the photo in his file was in fact an older photo, they couldn't be sure he was even  _ legal  _ in the photo. And there was a sort of cognitive dissonance in looking at the club photo again, knowing that he was only nineteen. 

He looked far too dangerous to be nineteen. 

Too sure of himself. 

Too  _ aware _ . 

But if the information MI6 had given really  _ was  _ the truth, Alex Rider would be a force to be reckoned with. 

He was lethal, but he was also  _ missing, _ which really started putting things into perspective for the team in relation to just  _ who  _ it was they were up against. 

This group was no joke. They'd need to proceed with the utmost caution. 

"Ross has been informed, and SHIELD is working to track sales routes. As for what needs to be done on this end-" he tore his gaze away from the picture.

"You're in luck. Someone got lazy." He swiped a file from his phone into the screen. 

"We've found a body matching a high level operative SHIELD has been specifically following; codename's Samael. Age twenty-seven. Weapons expert. We found him dumped near the border of Montreal." Bruce grimaced at the gruesome photo. Decomposition had very recently begun, but it was more than obvious he hadn't gone comfortably, eyes still open and unseeing. The grisly cut across his throat was nearly black, swarmed by what was probably flies and some other insects not to mention the general look of death and decomposition. 

"We have Intel that the group may have crossed into Canada. CSIS has pledged to aid SHIELD in intel gathering. They'll let us know the moment anything of interest pops up." 

The group stayed silent, eyes fixed on the screen. Things were getting  _ serious _ and no one could shake the chilling feeling of fight or flight. 

Something was  _ definitely  _ weird about this situation. Something was  _ off _ .

Something big. 

But no one could even begin to guess what it could  _ possibly  _ be… 

"We'll keep things buried for now, so I suggest you get your hands off of any sort of incriminating evidence." He leveled Tony with a pointed look. 

"And for future reference-" he paused, sweeping an eye over the group. "I suggest you all keep some distance. Agent Rider is a target, nothing more nothing less. Don't get it twisted." 


	6. Chapter 6

Four days in had Ross panicking, practically losing his mind as the continued search continued to bear no results.  _ That  _ coupled with the new requests from MI6 themselves to speak with their agent, their  _ missing  _ agent, only furthered the promise of yet  _ another  _ migraine.

So he made what he deliberated was the most  _ professional  _ decision out of his options, flat out ignoring their notice altogether in favour of making his way to the Avengers compound for the ninth time in hopes that they'd found something. 

_ Anything _ . 

But the tension he felt walking into the meeting room told him otherwise. That and the pinched expressions coupled with the unmistakable signs of keyed up exhaustion really kicked the anxious stress up a notch, driving his blood pressure to a concerning degree. 

MI6 were bound to figure things out eventually. There was only so long he could hide the problem. And then the Director would have to be brought in as well, and _ that _ was something he really,  _ really _ wanted to avoid for the sake of keeping his job. 

"Nothing…?" He almost pleaded, gut dropping at the silence and avoided gazes. 

“They’ve  _ really  _ put in the effort to erase their trail.” Rogers broke the long silence with a strained sigh. “We couldn’t find a single lead. He just vanishes from near the med-bay hall. All of the security cameras on that side of the compound were down, inside  _ and  _ out.”

"Is that even  _ possible _ ?!" He winced as the sharpness rang through the heavy silence. 

"It's not…" Tony straightened up, leaning his elbows on the table, scrubbing a hand down his pinched face. "Technically, anyway. The compound's main security  _ isn't  _ run on Stark Tech programming. It's a failsafe. Even  _ I  _ don't know the logistics past the programming I've done, that's mostly FRIDAY and give or take a few camera access points." 

"You  _ don't _ control the building…?" 

Tony shook his head. "It's a ruse. Anything I can mess with or enable can be overridden. So, while I  _ do  _ have some power, it's nothing near the  _ actual  _ capabilities of whoever or whatever program is running this building." 

"So your camera access points-" 

"Were  _ completely  _ overridden and ripped up. They crashed the system for a good ten minutes." He grimaced looking  _ none  _ too pleased about  _ that _ .

"Whoever it was that took him are big-league level crooks, but we don't know much about them. As much as we should, anyway."

"Is that a point or is it a request…?"

"It's both."

"Tony's right. We should have been given more information on them. On what to expect. These goons are  _ clearly  _ not just simple drug dealers. We need to know  _ exactly  _ what we're up against."

Ross deliberated a moment before nodding. It wasn't his intention, and it damn well wasn't in any of the plans he'd discussed with Fury but, plans and protocols be damned they needed to find Rider,  _ now _ .

“You aren’t wrong.” he started, nodding at Rogers. 

“This group-’ _ Goetia _ ’ they aren’t some low-level group. Not recently anyway. Came out of left field really. The DEA deferred the case to SHIELD once they started getting violent and their production started getting out of hand.” he trailed off, taking time to choose his next words carefully. 

“They- they actually killed a senior CIA operative. Got a handful of DEA agents as well. The case turnover was...rocky to say the least. But what matters is that this group is volatile.  _ Extremely  _ volatile. They don’t take chances. They eliminate anything they think will be a problem. I’m sure Fury told you about the agent they found, Samael or whatever his name was.” 

The group nodded, listening intently at the sudden give. 

“There’s a  _ very  _ good chance that he made some sort of a mistake and that’s why he ended up like he did. Which is why Fury’s been keeping this on the low, minimizing the potential for them to get panicky.”

“How are we supposed to continue then? If they’re as trigger happy as SHIELD says they are, they’ll probably hole up somewhere and just wait it out. I mean, they’ve been able to spread their supply so far without being caught yet. What’s to say they’ll make the same sort of mistake again?” Bruce piped up, brows furrowed in confusion. 

“We-” Ross ground to a halt as a notification pinged from somewhere in the room. 

_ Ping! _

_ Ping!  _

_ Ping! Ping!  _

“ _ Christ _ -” Tony fished out his phone from his pants pocket, doing a double-take as he moved to silence it altogether. He didn’t get to react to the influx of texts before his phone started blaring, Peter’s contact photo popping up on his screen.

“Shouldn’t you be in class?” 

“Mr Stark!  _ Finally _ -” Tony’s eyes narrowed at the noise on the other end.

“Where are you right now?” 

“That’s not important- I mean, it is but I’m  _ positive  _ this is more important!” 

“Are we talking ‘ _ school’  _ important or ‘ _ work’  _ important?”

“Definitely work!” 

“Where are you? Are you hurt? What the hell-” 

“I can’t-can you tap into my suit’s visual?”

Tony didn’t hesitate a moment longer, fingers tapping away at the smaller holo screen he pulled up from the conference table. 

“I’m in, kid.”

“Alright, give me one second-” he grunted, landing heavily as he took a lengthy hop from what looked to be a cluster of  _ oddly  _ familiar apartment buildings. 

“Is that-” Tony hesitated, cutting to a dual-screen to rewind back to the buildings. “Are you in Manhattan right now?” 

“...Maybe…” 

“Excuse me?” 

“I’m sorry! I was going to call earlier but he’s so freaking  _ fast  _ and I almost lost him the first time I looked away!”

Tony froze, gut dropping as the possibilities flooded his mind. 

“Who are you chasing right now, Peter?” he hissed putting the phone on speaker. If his hunch was right, they’d all need to know. 

“I never got his name, but it’s that blond guy-the target from the docks-” 

Ross’ eyes widened in shock. 

“ _ Where _ ?!” 

“We’re on the metro right now. Almost at Pennsylvania Station-” 

“We’ll be there  _ ASAP _ . But Peter, listen to me-” he made somber eye contact with Rogers who came to the same conclusion. 

“-Whatever you do, do  _ not  _ engage. Do you understand? You keep your distance and just keep tailing, alright?” 

“Wait, what do-”

Tony startled at the sudden glitching screech coming from Peter’s end. 

“Peter?” 

_ Silence.  _

“ _ Peter _ ? Talk to me, Pete-” he felt his blood go cold as the line disconnected, shutting the screen off as the call abruptly ended. 

“I’ll follow the metro. We’ll have to run a wide radius around there as well.” Tony stood, looking  _ more  _ than ready to sprint.

“Clint and I’ll go down towards East.” Rogers nodded. 

“Sam and I’ll cover West and the end of Central Park,” Natasha added. 

“I can ride up 3rd Avenue. Cover both sides.“ Barnes stated gruffly. 

“Bruce, you up for being extraction?” 

Banner nodded. “I’ve got a medkit ready to go as well.” 

“And, Ross-”

“I’ll have some extra boots on the ground sent your way.” he didn’t hesitate, already ringing whoever was needed to make it happen. 

“We find him, and we bring him  _ unharmed _ , alright?” Steve gave the warning. 

“And watch yourselves. I’ve got a bad feeling about this…” 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chap to let you guys know this story ISN'T dead!  
> (I'm so sorry it took so long!)

Choke holds weren't new. If anything, it was a 'go-to' move for a  _ lot  _ of the baddies he'd taken down before. And with his enhanced strength, getting out of one was never a problem. 

But here he was  _ genuinely  _ seconds away from losing consciousness because whoever the  _ hell _ this guy was, he had a  _ very  _ good grip on pressure points. 

Kind of like Strange but definitely  _ not  _ a wizard or whatever the man was. The doctor turned- whatever the guy was- had explained it before but he hadn't actually understood and was too scared to ask again. 

He'd have to ask Mr. Stark later,  _ way  _ later when he  _ wasn _ 't moments from potential death in a situation he wasn't even supposed to be in in the first place. 

The whole almost beheading with the crutch back at the complex should have been enough of a warning of the guy's skill and, in turn, a warning for Peter to  _ be careful _ . 

To  _ not  _ be  _ reckless _ , which probably included not chasing him down  _ solo _ on the way to school. 

There would  _ definitely  _ talks to be had, and not the fun ones. 

But none of that mattered at the moment because he was actually starting to get a little panicky. 

"Who the  _ hell  _ are you?!" The blond snarled, not budging an inch against Peter's feeble attempts against the growing numbness in his arms.

But the genuine confusion he heard under the aggression was real and  _ that  _ had him momentarily floored. He froze, chill running down his spine at the implications. 

"Who sent you?!" He was jolted out of his thoughts quite literally, roughly shaken back to focus.

"What are you-" this was not good. Really  _ really  _ not good. "I know you! We've met befo-" 

"Hands off, Rider.  _ Now! _ Up where I can see them!" 

The ability to actually breathe came back to him all at once as he stumbled to put as much space between them as he could gulping down air. Tony descended on him, mask off looking tense as he pulled him further from the standoff, tucked safety behind the suit with an emergency phaser cuff clamped on his uniformed wrist. 

"Drop it!"

The blond didn't move, observing the ex-assassins for a moment, not even a  _ bit  _ shaken at the  _ actual _ guns aimed at him so close by. He didn't look worried at all, really, face wiped of all emotion leaving nothing to analyze but his cold calculating eyes. 

"Alright." He muttered evenly, steely and firm as he dropped the gun that Peter hadn't even noticed was in his hands. 

"But just to let you know-" he nodded in Peter's direction. "You have something in your hood. Saw someone slip something in around the third stop." 

Everyone froze slowly turning to Peter in horrified silence. 

"I'd check that out soon if I were you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much thanks to Melon for beta-ing!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'M STILL ALIVE, I SWEAR! THIS STORY WILL BE COMPLETED EVENTUALLY I PROMISE!

“It’s been a week-”

“-and you want answers.” 

“Look, kid-Rider. Sorry.” Rogers backtracked with a sigh. 

“It’s fine. I’ve been called worse.” Alex reassured sardonically, offering the man a wry little smile. “I think the word you’re looking for is ‘ _ agent _ ’. But at this point, I really don’t mind.”

“Alright then. I’ll stick with ‘Rider’ if you don’t mind.” 

The spy shrugged, jostling his sleeves, revealing the lightweight metal of the cuff on his right wrist. It blinked a steady green. 

“As I was saying, it’s been a week since you’ve been back and the team is...getting restless.”

“Understandable.”

“We understand that your status-this whole situation is probably more sensitive than we know and that there are bound to be  _ some  _ things that we won’t get to know. But we’ve got our orders and they all revolve around making sure you stay safe-” he nearly missed the flash of amusement in the twitched smirk that Alex swallowed all too fast. But he opted to continue, filing the bizarre behavior away in the back of his mind. 

“But we can’t do that if we don’t know what exactly it is we need to prepare for. To what extent. Because, if breaking from your protection detail and going missing for days is going to be a common occurrence, we’ll have to prepare for that sort of thing. For  _ our  _ own protection as well as yours.”

There was a beat of silence, letting the words sink in.

“Rest assured, we’ve already contacted MI6. We’ve got the green light for a Q and A from a, Director Jones? So as long as you agree to it. We’ve all signed the OSA as well and it’ll be a closed meeting. Romanov, Stark, Barnes, and Ross will be the only people in that room with you. No recording devices of any kind. You won’t have to answer anything you don’t want to and we won’t push.”

“Today?” 

“If you’re ready.” 

Alex deliberated a moment, wiping his face of emotion leaving a  _ worryingly  _ good poker face. What was there to think of? The boundaries allowed by the team were more than generous in the full scope of things, what with the explosion and subsequent escape from the compound. Not to mention what had gone between him and Peter before the team had gotten to the scene. Tony had nearly had a heart attack during the debriefing on the way back to the compound when he was told in a  _ very  _ blase way from the arachnid himself that the unconscious blond they had locked into the containment seat was so well versed in pressure points and evading capture amongst other  _ notable  _ skills. It  _ shouldn’t  _ have come as such a surprise, but it  _ did  _ and it was starting to take its toll on them all, making them reconsider the extent of what the  _ hell  _ they had gotten themselves into. Tied with  _ who _ ? 

All they really knew was that Rider- _ Alex, _ was definitely more than just an average agent. He had to be. Working in intelligence was one thing. Having  _ that  _ sort of skill set with the past that they knew of, that was different. 

So the  _ real _ question was, had they caught the spy going rogue,  _ again _ ? Or was there something else? Something...bigger? And if so, were they ready? 

“Alright.” Alex nodded, hauling himself up with a brief grimace of pain. “But I  _ do  _ have a favor to ask…”

* * *

“A  _ Coke _ ?” 

“Yup.” 

Tony swore he could feel his eye twitch at the popped ‘p’, mind unable to comprehend the logic. The sudden openness and mild-mannered near  _ friendliness _ that had warmed the frigid flint eyes that had tracked everyone for the past few days after his official discharge from the medbay. 

And for  _ what _ ? 

A damn can of Coke from the fridge in the shared living floor. One that he could have  _ easily  _ gotten himself, apparently if it wasn’t for Dr. Cho’s strict order of no junk food within the overarching rest and recoup. Suddenly  _ very _ invested with following orders. 

He looked every bit the happy teenager Peter turned into on pizza days. It was honestly a little off-putting. So very opposite from the hardened lethal  _ operative  _ they’d seen-no, they’d  _ captured  _ days prior.

“Don’t tell me you’re a Pepsi person...?” the blond grimaced in disgust before taking another swig of the cold fizzy goodness.

“Honestly, I’m just confused at this point.” 

“About…?” 

“Are you seriously asking?” Stark snarked, quirking a brow.

“Touche.” Alex shrugged. “But lucky for you, you won’t be so confused for much longer. So as long as the questions stay  _ relevant _ .” 

No one missed the sharpened edge of the casual threat. 

“Noted. How about we start with whatever the  _ hell  _ the explosion was and how you got out in the first place.” 

**Author's Note:**

> *oh look! A reference!


End file.
